25th Year Anniversary of Failure and Opportunity / Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA)
January 31, 2023 is the 25th anniversary of the Department of Energy’s failure, under law and contract, to start the removal of spent nuclear fuel from the country’s commercial nuclear power plant sites for disposal per the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. This legal failure has resulted in a current US taxpayer liability of more than 40 billion dollars for extra storage costs to keep spent fuel safe at shutdown and operating reactors –located in 77 communities in 35 states on our lakes, rivers, and seashores. This liability continues to grow by nearly two million dollars for every day of federal government inaction. Although the ever-increasing amount of spent fuel is safely stored in nearly 4,000 huge, shielded canisters across the country, it is a financial catastrophe and long-term environmental burden that our federal government never should have let happen.
With support for clean and reliable nuclear energy now strong in both parties there is an opportunity for the Federal government to offer a permanent solution that will build on decades of excellence and innovative technologies across the industry.
I personally know this moral and legal responsibility associated with this failure because in 1998, as the then responsible DOE official, I had to personally announce it. But much has changed since then. There are many new avenues to address these past problems, such as federal, state, and community partnerships that can be a benefit for all.
Our country needs safe, clean, secure, and affordable energy, for which nuclear energy plays a vital role. Solving the current nuclear waste disposal impasse is part of achieving this. We can’t pass this problem on to our grandchildren and great grandchildren. The moment is here for us to come together and act as we move toward a clean and resilient energy future.
Lake Barrett
Retired Federal Official & Nuclear Engineer
